While trickle charging some cases tonight the thought struck me that we are to a large degree at the mercy of the component manufacturers. What happens if some yahoo in Sweden had a bad day and decided to cut back on the buffering to a batch of RL22 and all of a sudden you have RL22 that acts like RL15? He just smiles and changes it back after a while.

That's just an example.

How many of you have had bad exeriences or close calls? Are all of our components so good that it never happens?

Perhaps some shared experiences might make the rest of us more vigilant and save some grief.

None since 1966.

Geesh!

And what do you do when some goof at Ford or any of the car manufacturers leave out bolts that keep the engine from falling in your lap?

Or the local butcher gives you fillet of Mr. Smith instead of fillet mignon?

Or the guy who put your bathtub in the second floor bathroom didn't put any braces under it and the first time you fill it with water...

Or ... hell, the list can go on forever...

(Better watch out, those raisins youa re eating might just be dehydrated mouse testicles...)

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
Geesh!
(Better watch out, those raisins youa re eating might just be dehydrated mouse testicles...)

Now there's a visual that will stay with you for a while

There are safegaurds built into the supply of most products. For example the "canister grade" powder that is sold to handloaders is not made up of powder from a single batch. Each batch is tested for consistancy and many batchs are blended to create the consistant product we buy over the counter. Ricciardelli has it right, you worry too much.

Seems to me I do remember a "Recall" on some Lots of RL Powder a couple of years ago. Might have been RL-21, but that could be full of beans.
---

I also seem to remember reading in a few Manuals every Manual written that when you begin Loading with any new Component from a different Lot, it is appropriate to Start Low and work up to verify the new Lot works the same as the previous one.

Of course, a lot of folks ignore that warning. Some get away with it for a long time, but if you reload long enough, the wisdom of the statement becomes clear.

I think we are greatly blest by the quality and consistancy of the components we buy. As a case in point, look at how the accuracy bar has been raised in the last say 25-30 years. That enhancement had to begin with better rifles and better components.
As far as Sven getting a case of the ass, I'll go along with Steve. If you spend all your time looking under the bed, you never get any sleep.

Geez, if ya worry about everything in life, yer gonna end up with ulcers. Then ya gotta worry about the doc doing his job properly.
People that worry about every little thing need to get a life.
Bear in Fairbanks

I'm of the opinion that folks (like Hodgdon's) test the product when they receive it to assure that it's conforming to the burn rate it's advertized for and packaged for.

Besides...it's why we start low and work up....

I agree with the others.....there's an amount of risk we must all take.....minimizing it can be done however by using good technique.

I've always made it a practice to consider any change in components to be a complete change and begin by working back up, and a change in lot numbers is a "new component."

Jaywalker

Did someone mention a Ford Pinto? Maybe Hodgedon has already done the math and figure a lawsuit or two would be cheaper than a recall.

Or the guy who didn't tighten the bolts that hold the wing onto a 747....

Seriously, most companies have multiple quality control checks in place - if it ain't manufactured to spec, it doesn't go out the door.

I'm more concerned about being at the mercy of some clown reloader on the next bench who doesn't check what he's doing than I'll ever be about component manufacturers.

quote:

Originally posted by Laner:
Did someone mention a Ford Pinto? Maybe Hodgedon has already done the math and figure a lawsuit or two would be cheaper than a recall.

I thought that was a design flaw, rather than a manufacturing flaw?

Wasn't there a recall on some Lil' Gun powder not too long ago?

And didn't Hodgdon recall some 1 lb. lots of H4227 because the canisters contained H4198?

And wasn't there a problem with some 8 lb. canisters of Unique? Seems some of them contained Bullseye instead.

EVERY human makes mistakes....lots of them.

This might explain some of those Kbs that seem to have no other explanation. "I just don't understand what happened....I loaded the listed charge of 8 gr. of Unique." Well if that 8 lb. canister was from lot# 850, he might have loaded those cases with Bullseye.

Paranoid? Hell no...look at those three examples above....how many reloaders got their hands on the recalled powder? Hundreds? thousands? Think you chances of getting hooked are small? So did EVERY lottery winner. But they still won......

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
(Better watch out, those raisins youa re eating might just be dehydrated mouse testicles...)

We had a good laugh. My wife states however that one would notice immediately because raisins taste sweet.

mbartel,

good point

quote:

Originally posted by DUK:

quote:

Originally posted by ricciardelli:
(Better watch out, those raisins youa re eating might just be dehydrated mouse testicles...)

We had a good laugh. My wife states however that one would notice immediately because raisins taste sweet.

Uh, and how is it that your wife would know that dehydrated mouse testicles don't taste sweet also?

Sorry, just had to ask

quote:

Originally posted by 510wells:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by DUK:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by ricciardelli:
Uh, and how is it that your wife would know that dehydrated mouse testicles don't taste sweet also?

Sorry, just had to ask

roger

quote:

Originally posted by mbartel:
Wasn't there a recall on some Lil' Gun powder not too long ago?

And didn't Hodgdon recall some 1 lb. lots of H4227 because the canisters contained H4198?

And wasn't there a problem with some 8 lb. canisters of Unique? Seems some of them contained Bullseye instead.

EVERY human makes mistakes....lots of them.

This might explain some of those Kbs that seem to have no other explanation. "I just don't understand what happened....I loaded the listed charge of 8 gr. of Unique." Well if that 8 lb. canister was from lot# 850, he might have loaded those cases with Bullseye.

Paranoid? Hell no...look at those three examples above....how many reloaders got their hands on the recalled powder? Hundreds? thousands? Think you chances of getting hooked are small? So did EVERY lottery winner. But they still won......

I doubt that the mixup between IMR4198 and 4227
could have resulted in any injuries, because it was a SLOW powder being substituted for a faster one.

And Anyone who can't tell the large flakes of unique (with the occasional naturally colored flake that by comparison lookes yellow)
for the much finer grains of bullseye
probably deserved to blow himself up.

What scares me is mistaking say....
H110? for H414 :O

I think improperly a brass is potentialy just as dangerous.

AllanD

The point was that mistakes like these are made. Does someone have to be severely injured or killed before anybody gets concerned. Suppose a first time reloader had never seen any bullseye before, and purchased an 8 lb. container of unique because the reloading manual said it was an easy powder to use for milder loads. That container of Lot #850 contained bullseye. Does he deserve to get "blown up" just because he doesn't have your experience and knowledge of bullseye powder. Fact is, I have been reloading for over 30 years, and I have never used or even seen any bullseye myself. There are a lot of new reloaders out there who don't have enough experience to catch a factory mistake.

First, there are no Yahoo's in Sweden, there may be some YeeHa's and possibly some Bozo's but no Yahoo's. Secondly there are no bad days in Sweden, though the sun may not shine and the rain/snow may fall. However the universal Brain Farting which is endemic to planet earth can and could be responsible for what you fear.

Oh yeah ...one other thing......that SLOW rifle powder ignited by a standard pistol primer just might lodge a bullet in the bore. Do a little research on this one......there has been more than one instance where a shooter sent a bullet down an obstructed barrel. Maybe those shooters deserved what they got too?

Much of lifr depends on trust. You assume the guy coming on the side street will stop, you assume the pilot is not suicidal ect.
If you can't take it , stop driving , flying, and handloading.
Good Luck!
P.S. Do you realize the enthropy of the universe is running down.

Historically the incidents resulting in blown up rifles have all been caused by people buying used/opened cannisters of propellant.

Either at garage sales, gun shows, estate sales, etc...

I've bought large lots of reloading equipment three times in my life.

Once I was given the powder and destroyed everything not in a sealed can immediatly.

I later wound up discarding three cans of 2400 because
the powder itself looked "rusty" when I opened it
and one apparrently sealed can of IMR4320 didn't have the characteristic alcohol smell when I opened it so it got junked
as well.

Another time I got a bunch of stuff I actually paid extra for the opened propellant so I could see that it was destroyed

the third batch or reloading stuff the seller selling the stuff from his deceased father's estate sold me the sealed cans
(New enough to be plastic Hodgdons bottles) but wanted to know how to destroy the opened cans, because he his father told him to do exactly that after he was gone...

gotta hand it to a guy who is terminally ill but still remembers to give instructions to destroy his open containers of propellant...

and about the bullseye? it was a JOKE!

AllanD